Old Possum's Book of Cats TS Eliot

Which raises the question - should I be reviewing everything I read to the children. Well I didn't read this to the children, I read it to myself. But it brings the question to mind. I read this as an adult. As myself. It's a delight. An in joke in places, it has the word Chinks in it to mean unironically the Chinese, but there is such joy in it. And a bit of depth too - the cats' third name being the one it calls itself - I liked that. The characters and the stories are tight. I barely knew any of them, though I could still hear the musical versions of Macavity and the Jellicle Cats. I like the storytelling drive. I liked the scourge of the Thames.

Howards End - EM Forster

I love this book. It was such a brilliant English book, about London and the countryside, and class, and the knowingness of the English, and battles between for instance, the artist and the businessman. I liked Leonard's night time wander into Surrey, I liked the search for and belief in the transcendent, the precision with which Forster makes things foolish not laughable, and that any criticism is measured, and directed most at the wilful ignorance of the strong. Mireille told a story today about a mum at the school saying how "her" school run person couldn't walk Noam back basically because she, the mum, didn't think it was a good idead... defensive, entitled, loaded with class prejudice, blind to others... It was nice to see it through a Howards End prism, and illuminating. So Howards End has helped me already... I learnt Only Connect from this book too. I thought it was just a TV programme. It's a whole philosophy - Margaret's desire to be true, join yourself and what you do, empathise, join your understanding with others... remind yourself this is water.
I loved the sister's relationship. When the forces of patriarchal medicine were coming down on Helen I thought about Jess, and felt pretty knotted. Maybe the ending of this book was a bit too melodramatic to transpose into my 21st century consciousness, compared with the early parts, so it perhaps isn't a perfect novel but I found it really rewarding. It seemed like a book a feminist could enjoy too - if I find time I think it would reward a bit of study - some academic takes on it. I'm gonna try the introduction now. But I like this book already without official sanction. x